Brighton High School sophomore Isla DiGiuseppe doesn't mind putting her phone away during class. The corded headphones are another story.

Under tighter enforcement of the school's phone policy for fall 2026, students at the Cottonwood Heights school must now use corded headphones instead of AirPods, even though some teachers in prior years allowed wireless earbuds while students worked. DiGiuseppe said she hasn't seen a difference in her learning since the crackdown, as first reported by the BHS Times.

"Honestly, no, I have not noticed a difference between last year and this year," DiGiuseppe said. "And it's become a little hard to walk and do homework without music."

Brighton has had a classroom phone policy since 2019. The state caught up this year when lawmakers passed Senate Bill 69, sponsored by Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan. The law took effect July 1 and restricts student device use during the school day, with exceptions for health emergencies, Individualized Education Program (IEP) accommodations and the SafeUT Crisis Line.

Canyons School District, which includes Brighton, updated its Policy 500.06 at its June 2 board meeting to align with SB 69. Middle schools now follow a strict bell-to-bell ban. High school rules are more lenient than the state law's broad language: students may use personal devices before school, during lunch and during passing periods but must keep them off or silent and out of sight in classrooms unless a teacher allows them for a lesson.

Brighton teacher Lynette Daig said the policy helps students stay in the moment. Without a phone buzzing in a pocket, she said, students stop fixating on who sent a notification and focus on the task in front of them.

DiGiuseppe sees a downside during advisory periods. Students who finish all their work, she said, face "an hour of doing nothing" without a phone to fill the gap. Daig countered that phone-free advisory gives students more time for academics, peer connection and a break from screens.

Principal Tracie Richards, who put Brighton's original 2019 policy in place, called the rule necessary so students can concentrate on instruction.

Granite School District Board member Julie Jackson, who represents Holladay and Millcreek, expressed similar support in a May 28 interview with the Holladay Journal, months before the law took effect. Jackson said the key is creating a successful enforcement environment for school staff.

The next Canyons School District board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 20 at 9361 S. 300 E., Sandy, though no phone-policy agenda item has been confirmed.